


What Are Friends For?

by benicemurphy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bad Days, Bad Flirting, Bad Jokes, First Kiss, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Matt is a good friend, Pining Keith (Voltron), Platonic Cuddling, Pre-Kerberos Mission, Shiro is barely in it, mostly Katt fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-23 19:35:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18156131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benicemurphy/pseuds/benicemurphy
Summary: Keith is having a terrible day. Matt is a great friend who convinces him not to lose hope.





	What Are Friends For?

**Author's Note:**

> I had a bad day yesterday, and I wanted to write something to make myself feel better. It sort of worked.

It was a shitty fucking day, and Keith was not happy.

He wasn’t happy with his latest sim score, he wasn’t happy with James Griffin and his big, stupid mouth, and above all, he really wasn’t happy about the display of quiet love happening across from him at his usual lunch table.

Some days it was easier to handle. Some days, he could ignore the way seeing them together made his heart fall into his butt. Most days, he at least had Matt there as a distraction, but Matt had been called away to discuss his qualifications for Kerberos, _again_ , so Keith was alone, with nothing to pull his attention from the soft way Shiro looked at Adam as he told some boring story about whatever stupid class he was teaching.

He knew he was stewing over something that wasn’t Shiro’s fault. It wasn’t Shiro’s fault that some hoity-toity wannabe loser knew exactly what to say at exactly the right moment to make him fail a sim for the first time since he started at the Garrison — well, the first time unintentionally, anyway.

It also wasn’t Shiro’s fault that Keith had fallen so hard for him, and it wasn’t Adam’s fault either. That didn’t change the fact that Adam was a pain in Keith’s ass, always pulling Shiro’s attention away and being so _damn nice_ all the time so that Keith couldn’t even properly hate him. Just like now, Adam was working so hard to include Keith in the conversation, and Keith wished everyone would just leave him the hell alone.

It was a shitty fucking day, and Keith couldn’t stand being there any longer.

He shoved off from the table, causing his lunch tray to clatter noisily against Shiro’s where they bumped.

“Keith, what—”

He got up and grabbed his tray, effectively cutting Shiro off even as he straightened Shiro’s tray (because despite what the other cadets said about him, he wasn’t _actually_ a filthy animal), and stormed off, dumping his tray in one fluid motion and stashing it on the tray deposit spot near the closest exit.

“Keith!” He ignored the call and kept going.

He wasn’t even headed anywhere in particular. He just needed to get _away_. He needed to get away, and he needed to be alone, because even a year into his cadet training, he still wasn’t used to having so many people around all the damn time. His first choice would have been a joy ride out in the desert, but no way would any of the guards let him off Garrison grounds on a hover bike without Shiro. His dorm was totally out of the question; five other guys cycling in and out all the time made it almost as unbearable as watching Shiro and Adam cuddle during movie nights.

Before he even knew where he was going, he ended up outside of Matt’s single. Keith still wasn’t totally sure how he had managed to get a single room as a cadet, but then again, he was also most likely going to be sent into space soon on the longest, most highly anticipated mission in the history of mankind, so really, Matt could do anything.

Keith stood in the hall outside of Matt’s dorm, fuming, not really knowing why he had come here or where else he could possibly go. He didn’t know if he should knock — hell, he didn’t even know if Matt was back from his meeting yet — but without any other ideas, he was basically frozen in place.

It didn’t take long for the decision to be made for him. Matt showed up a couple of minutes later, looking like he had just heard the world’s greatest news, and probably he had. Matt was brilliant and charismatic and had a way of making people believe in him that Keith envied. Maybe that was why, when Matt saw his face and reached out to comfort him, Keith let him.

“Hey,” Matt said, “what’s going on, Keith?” Keith just leaned into Matt’s welcoming arms and shrugged. Matt sighed. “Come on, come inside.”

Keith allowed Matt to lead him into the dorm and flopped himself down on the bed with a loud groan.

“Everything sucks,” he melodramatically declared.

“ _Everything_?” Matt goaded. “Every single thing sucks?”

Keith took the bait. “Yes.”

“Flying sucks?”

“Yes.”

“The stars suck?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… peanut butter and banana sandwiches with contraband marshmallow fluff suck?”

Keith grimaced. “Ew, Matt, yes. Those suck.”

“That’s not what you said last week when you made me bring you one every single day for lunch.”

“Whatever,” Keith huffed. “You suck too.”

Matt made a production of humming loudly and stroking his chin in deep thought as he flopped down on the bed beside Keith and turned to prop himself up on his side facing him. Keith stayed splayed out on his back, utterly unconcerned about the amount of space he was taking up on Matt’s bed.

“Well…” Matt drew out the word in the way that he knew irritated Keith to no end. Why draw out the word? Why make a word longer when it was supposed to be a short word? Keith lifted one limp arm and made a pathetic attempt to shove Matt off of the bed. Matt snorted and shoved Keith back, which was entirely ineffective, seeing as Keith was already as flat to the bed as he could possibly be. “Well,” he repeated through teasing laughter, “Does _Shiro_ suck?” He waggled his eyebrows in a way that meant he clearly thought he had Keith pegged. Well, Keith wasn’t going to give in so easily.

“Yes,” he said with no hint of a joke in his tone. He frowned and turned his head away.

“Whoa, hey, what happened?” Matt asked, teasing tone abandoned in favor of concern. “Did you guys fight?”

Keith huffed. “No.”

“Then, what? Hey, Keith, come on. Talk to me. What’s up?”

Keith turned back to meet Matt’s gaze. Matt was looking at him with genuine concern. It made sense; Keith never said anything bad about Shiro. That was a known fact throughout the Garrison. Most people probably knew about his pathetic crush on his mentor by now, but he didn’t care. It’s not like he ever planned on doing anything about it… he just hated having to watch that crush have a loving, co-dependent relationship with his long-time live-in boyfriend, day after day after day.

Maybe something in his expression was obvious, because Matt didn’t push any further. He just lowered himself to Keith’s level and pulled Keith into a cuddle. It was nice. Matt was just on the border between lean and scrawny, which typically wouldn’t make for a very comfortable pillow, but Matt was also soft in the way he held Keith, and it helped more than Keith could express to have that kind of close contact with another person.

Keith allowed himself to calm down in Matt’s embrace. He had intended to be alone, but now that he was there in Matt’s room, he had to admit it was better than being alone. Matt’s hand gently rubbing soothing patterns in his back and Matt’s steady heartbeat under his ear calmed him enough that he could finally give Matt a proper answer.

“It just hasn’t been a great day,” he huffed, “and I just get… tired, you know? Of everything.”

“Yeah,” Matt murmured. “I know what you mean. So, what’s going on with Shiro?”

Keith sighed heavily. “Just, Adam,” he said by way of explanation. Matt hummed in understanding.

“Keith, listen.” He pulled away just enough that he was able to look Keith directly in the eyes. “If Shiro gets approved for this mission, he’s going to be gone for at least a year. You never know what might happen with him and Adam, especially since Adam wasn’t exactly thrilled that he applied for the mission in the first place.”

It was a weak comfort, but at least it was something.

“I just feel like such a kid sometimes,” Keith confided. “I know Shiro cares about me. It just sucks, you know? Knowing he’ll never see me like that. I mean, I’m seventeen. It’s not like I have no idea about love and relationships.”

Matt gave him a comforting full-body squeeze and nuzzled his nose into Keith’s hair. “You’re still young, Keith. Give it time. One day, when you’ve had time to grow and he’s had time to come to his senses, it could happen. Don’t lose hope. Until then, you’ve got me.”

“Thanks, Matty,” he sniffed.

“Any time, Kitty Cat.” With one final squeeze, he pulled back and brushed the bangs out of Keith’s eyes in a gesture that made Keith’s heart flutter. Matt could be a menace when he wanted to be, but when Keith needed him, he always treated him with so much care. “Listen, can I tell you a secret?”

Keith nodded. Matt narrowed his eyes at him and gave his bangs a little tug where his fingers were woven through them.

“You have to promise you’ll never tell Shiro I told you.” Keith nodded again, his curiosity sufficiently piqued now.

“I promise.”

Matt smoothed down his hair and gave him a little scratch behind the ear, just like a cat. Keith would protest if it didn’t feel so damn good. “Well, I overheard them arguing before our last movie night,” he started. When he didn’t continue, Keith kicked him in the shin. “Ow, okay, you little demon,” Matt laughed. “So, I guess Adam is kind of jealous of Shiro’s relationship with you. He thinks Shiro has too much of a soft spot for you or something. Gives you too much attention.” A sly grin spread across Matt’s face, and Keith nearly kicked him again. His heart was beating double time. It wasn’t much, but it was something — definitely enough to cheer him up, and maybe enough to spark a little bit of hope that if things didn’t work out with Adam, he really would have a chance with Shiro someday.

Taking note of Keith’s improved mood, Matt rose to sit cross-legged on the bed and then yanked Keith up so that he was sitting across from him.

“So, what was that you were saying about not being naive to love and relationships at the ripe old age of seventeen?”

Keith gave him a full shove then, and Matt had to windmill his arms to stop from falling backwards off the bed and landing on his head. Pity. Matt could stand to lose a few brain cells. “I know stuff!” Keith said, indignant.

“Oh yeah?” Matt laughed. “What do you know about relationships, huh? Please, impart your wisdom on me, Oh Experienced One.”

“You’re such an ass,” Keith shot back, but there was no malice behind it. He leaned back and swatted his hands at Matt, who was reaching out to give him a noogie like he always did when he was being an insufferable pest, and that soon devolved into a slap fight that neither of them was going to win.

When they were sufficiently tired and their hands and arms sufficiently stinging, they took a few moments to catch their breaths before Matt spoke up again.

“Can I tell you another secret?” he asked timidly.

Keith reached out to take his hand. “Of course.”

Matt looked into his eyes, still looking a little shy, which was a weird look on him; Matt was never shy. He fidgeting a bit, but Keith maintained eye contact with him and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Finally, Matt dropped his eyes and admitted, “I’ve never kissed anyone before.”

Keith didn’t even hesitate in his answer. “Me neither.” He offered his friend a little smile.

“Really? But you’re gorgeous!” Matt’s eyes bugged out like it was the craziest thing he’d ever heard, and Keith felt heat crawl up his neck onto his ears and cheeks.

“I mean, it’s not like there are have been a whole lot of people around fighting for my honor, or whatever,” he muttered. “In case you haven’t noticed, I only have two friends, and one of them is dating my nemesis.”

Matt let out a bark of startled laughter. “Adam is your nemesis now? Big words, Kitty Cat. Having a nemesis is a huge responsibility. You’re going to have to start seriously considering world domination.”

“Oh my god, Matt, shut up!” Keith grabbed the pillow beside him and whacked Matt upside the head with a satisfying _thwump_. “You’re such an idiot,” he laughed back. “And besides, you don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re, um, you’re cute, too.”

He suddenly felt very shy with the words out there. The mood in the room shifted to something a little more tense.

“You think so?” Matt asked, and again he seemed less sure of himself than usual.

Keith rubbed the hand not still clasped with Matt’s over the hair on the back of his head in a rare show of embarrassment. “Well, yeah,” he said. “You’re totally cute.” He shuffled a little and scooted a bit closer on the bed, gripping Matt’s hand tightly in his. Matt mirrored his movement.

“You don’t think it’s kinda sad that I’m nineteen and haven’t kissed anyone?”

Keith shook his head. “No. No one on this planet is good enough for you, anyway.”

Matt grinned. “Not even you?” He leaned in to close more of the distance between them.

“Oh, I am way too good for you,” Keith replied. His gaze flicked down to Matt’s lips and back up again. “But I’m taken. By a guy who has a boyfriend.”

Matt huffed a laugh that Keith could feel against his lips. They were close enough that their noses were practically touching. His heart pounded.

“Keith,” Matt murmured.

“Mm?”

“Is it okay if I take your first kiss?”

Keith swallowed audibly. “Is it okay if I take yours?”

Matt nodded once, then lurched forward to capture Keith’s mouth in a clumsy kiss. They stayed pressed together for a few seconds before pulling apart.

There was a beat of silence, and then, “Do you wanna—” Keith cut him off by pressing his lips to Matt’s again, this time more demanding. He let instinct guide him as he tilted his head to get a better fit, then parted his lips only to close them again around Matt’s plush bottom lip. Matt let out a shaky breath when Keith pulled away.

“There,” Keith whispered. “Now we’ve both had our first kiss.”

Matt kept his proximity as he whispered back, “Hey, Keith?”

“What, Matty?”

“I’ve never fucked anyone either.”

Keith’s eyes flew open as his laughter erupted from inside him. That time he succeeded in shoving Matt all the way off of the bed. “Damn it, Matt,” he snorted. “You suck so hard.”

Below him, muffled through the sound of Matt’s face firmly planted on the carpet, he heard, “Yeah, wouldn’t you like to know?”

When Shiro came to find him in Matt’s dorm later after checking all of Keith’s other usual hangout spots, Keith was in a significantly better mood. Maybe what he and Matt had wasn’t the most epic romance of their generation, but they cared for each other, and it helped ease a bit of the sting of being alone in the meantime. They would both have time to find their epic romances later, Keith thought as he gazed at the true love of his life. They had time.


End file.
